Is it Important to Mix and Match Your Food a Certain Way?

One of the most popular diets of late are those stressing certain food combinations and which ones to avoid. Food combining proponents claim that eating certain foods together can lead to foods “rotting” in your stomach instead of being properly digested and can lead to digestive disorders, bloating, and more.

This concept was first touted by Dr. Howard Hay in the early 1900’s and continues to be supported by a variety of books and internet sites. The focus rests primarily upon the idea of not eating protein and certain starches at the same meal because these two types of foods go through different digestion processes in the body. Proteins need an acidic environment to digest properly and starches need an alkaline environment. In addition, these foods utilize different enzymes in the process. You are also encouraged not to eat protein and fat together, and not to eat starches and sugars together.

Does it work?

A study conducted by the Division of Therapeutic Patient Education for Chronic Diseases at The University Hospital in Geneva, Switzerland in 2000 compared weight loss, body fat, and other health parameters between a group of obese participants placed on a combination diet and a group placed on a balanced diet: each received the same amount of calories. After six weeks there was no significant difference in the parameters between the two groups, although total fat loss was slightly greater for those on the balanced diet.

In actuality, most foods contain a combination of protein, fat, and carbohydrate in varying amounts; few foods only contain one nutrient. Beans contain both protein and carbohydrate as do dairy products, which may also contain varying levels of fat. Meat contains both protein and fat, and there is some protein in many plant and grain products. If our body can digest these mixed foods with no issue, then why wouldn’t we be able to digest a piece of chicken eaten with rice? Registered dietitian Tina Marinaccio of Health Dynamics LLC makes a strong point when she states “if we were unable to digest these three nutrients at the same time, we wouldn’t be able to digest most foods even when eaten in isolation.”

Is there any benefit to food combining?

If you currently suffer from digestive issues or bloating after a meal, is may be beneficial to pay attention to the foods eaten and make some adjustments to determine if your body reacts better to different combinations of food. As long as you maintain a healthy balance of foods and nutrients throughout the day, it certainly won’t hurt you to try food combining.

The basics of food combining include:

• Eat only one type of protein per meal, and don’t combine protein with fat, acidic fruit, or starchy carbs.
• Do not combine starchy foods with sugar (no cakes, cookies, or jelly sandwiches)
• Do not combine carbs with acidic foods
• Eat dairy by itself
• Eat melon by itself
• Allow four hours between eating different types of food

The combination diet is not an easy one to maintain and the benefits are largely unproven. As part of a balanced diet, food combining isn’t harmful, but the effort expended and lack of variety at mealtimes may not prove worth the effort. The Healthy Way Diet Manual reveals other diet myths that may have you running in circles when it comes to weight loss.

Resources:

http://www.familydoctormag.com/nutrition/1342-food-combining-diet-does-it-really-work.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10805507

http://www.nature.com/ijo/journal/v24/n4/abs/0801185a.html

http://www.livestrong.com/article/325955-combo-diet/